Flooding, internet problems, and a Liebster Award!

I have so much going on right now, it's a little crazy. I suppose I'll need to spread it out over a few posts!

First, I finally made it home from my vacation at 4:45 AM on Monday and the first thing I noticed was that there seemed to be about a hundred bees or hornets flying all around my front porch light. Upon inspection, there was in fact a brand new, huge hornets' nest right there near the doorway.

My house right now.

So after dealing with that inconvenience, I finally got into the house around 5:30 and discovered that my basement DID in fact flood pretty badly. My house smelled like Satan's dirty socks, and the furniture, walls, etc. in the basement are all pretty much ruined. It's a finished basement, and we use it as our main living room. After about 12 consecutive hours of pumping, sucking up water with the steam cleaner, washing the walls with bleach, and running 3 dehumidifiers...I got it to the point where it was just a an extremely damp, humid swamp of a room instead of the GA Aquarium. 2 days later and it is not damp anymore, it just still has a moldy odor to it. I tested behind the drywall of one wall and discovered that it was soaked through the insulation, but the wood framing was fine. Either way, all the walls are ruined.

Killer B and I decided the next step is to just Lysol the heck out of everything, including the furniture, and keep dehumidifying until we figure out what we want to do about the walls. SIGH!

After all that, what do you think I want to do? I mean after I slept for 13 hours straight that is...you got it! Curl up on my couch and just relax by reading some e-mail and blogs. BUT the fates aligned against me again because that's when I discovered that my internet was out and wouldn't come back on despite all the normal tricks. Sigh again.

But, there is some good with the bad! I still had my iphone, and through it I discovered that I'd been nominated for a Liebster Award by 3 other bloggers! So I'm going to type up a blog post and hope for a window of internet to post it! I keep telling Killer B that I'm going to have to go and sit in a Starbucks and read the 200 blog posts on bloglovin' that I haven't been able to read! Aargh!

Thanks so much to Deirdre from A Burst of First, Courtney from Polka Dot Lesson Plans, and Danielle from Live. Love. Math! I'm so excited that others thought of me!

So, here's how it works, now I get to nominate some blogs with fewer than 200 followers, and then answer some questions, share 11 random facts, then ask 11 questions for my nominees!

So, I'd like to nominate:

Teaching 3rd with Mr. G
Digital: Divide and Conquer
Scrappy Guy Designs

I didn't JUST nominate them because they're the only other men teachers I know who blog...there's also a lot of good stuff to be found on their blogs! Since finding their blogs, I always make sure to read their posts (when my internet works...grumble.)

Here are the questions I was asked: (sorry about the weird formatting, not sure what that's about!)

What's your favorite candy? Haribo Gummy Bears
What's someplace you've always wanted to visit? Japan
Most risky/dangerous thing you've ever done. I rappelled out of a helicopter once!
Top three tv shows of all time? The Walking Dead, Monk, Frasier
If you could live somewhere else where would it be? Portland, OR
Mac or pc? Mac!
Who's your favorite clip artist? My bro, Peter!
Favorite non-alcoholic beverage? Coffee!
Do you like going to the dentist? Absolutely not. 
Early bird or night owl? Night Owl for sure!
Neat Nick or Messy Marvin? Hmm...depends on where I am! Probably more of a Messy Marvin though.
What is your favorite grade/subject to teach? I really loved teaching 2nd grade. I taught it for 9 years!
What types of books do you like to read in your spare (ha!) time? I read mostly kids books, teaching books and comic books to be honest!
What is your favorite thing to shop for? Unique T-shirts
What was your most memorable teaching moment? Five minutes into my first day of teaching ever, I taught Kindergarten back then...cutest little kid ever walks into my room...my para says to him, "Oh you must D*****, follow me to your seat!" He looks at her and says, "You can't tell me what to do you F&$%#@ B#$%@!" It was one of those years too...
What was the best vacation you ever went on? Hmm...the one were I didn't come home to a flooded house?!

What is your favorite meal? Probably Bulgoki and Kim Bahp. I was raised on Korean food!

If you won a million dollars to spend on anything, what would you buy? I'd pay off my mortgage, car, loans, etc. then probably go to Europe!

What was the last movie you saw? Did you like it? We just watched Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close again, and it is really good!

What is your favorite thing about the school at which you currently teach? I really love the fact that my school is so environmentally conscious and that we instill that into our students.
If you could choose any 2 consecutive months of the year to have your "summer" break which months would you choose? I'd probably go for having June and July off.
If you could take your class on a field trip to anywhere in the world where would you go? Probably Washington D.C.
If you weren't a teacher what would you be? I really can't imagine, but maybe something to do with art, like graphic design?
If you have a day all to yourself what is your favorite way to spend it? Playing video games or watching a marathon of tv while reading.
If you were stuck on an island and could only have 3 items with you what would they be? If I can't bring a satellite phone to call for rescue, then I guess I'd bring...a multi-tool, a rifle, and ammo. I know...too practical, right?
What is your favorite vacation spot? Savannah, GA.
Do you have any pets? I have a ton of pets! Two German Shepherds, three corn snakes, a crested gecko, 2 bettas, an emperor scorpion, and two tarantulas.
Do you prefer the mountains or the beach? The mountains!
What book have you read recently that you would recommend? Teach Like a Pirate!

Here are my 11 random facts:

I've been married to Killer B for 5 years.

I've read every Spider-Man comic ever.

I went to an elementary, middle, and high school where I was a minority.

As of the first day of school this year I will have taught grades K-5th.

In my youth I was a prolific guerilla artist.

I enjoy crafting of all types (though I hardly have time for it.)

I still enjoy leaving crafted goodies in public places for strangers to find.

I collect four leaf clovers and laminate them to preserve them.

I passed up a potential career/spot in the 2000 Olympics for marksmanship to be a teacher.

I drink about 8 cups of coffee a day.

I've lost 26 pounds since May!

Here are the questions I'd like to pose to my nominees:

Why do you blog?

What's your favorite linky?

What's your favorite grade to teach?

How many schools have you taught in?

Who would you most like to meet?

What's your favorite teaching memory?

What is our favorite hobby?

What is your favorite restaurant?

What is your favorite movie?

What piece of advice do you give out the most?

What's your favorite teaching tip/trick?

That was the longest post known to man, but hopefully you got to know me a little better!

I have a BUNCH of other stuff to talk about too, so I'll be back soon with all of that! Thanks so much to everyone who has already signed up to participate in Tunes Tuesday! If you haven't yet, then please do!